#toy hack

Legend Rider sounds have been hacked from the toy Build Driver! Best of all, Toei and Bandai managed to get a few sound archived clips of familiar voices in there like Akira Kushida!

I logged on this morning and Tumblr is convinced there are going to be Voltron toys sold at Burger King.  Things I learned today:

There is not one person who unsarcastically likes Burger King

A search of “Voltron toys” “Burger King” reveals NOTHING outside of Tumblr

I checked BKs website, I did a Google search, I even checked the official Twitter accounts of both

Nothing

Although “The Burger King vs. Voltron” who would win in a fight is a thing

I’m guessing this is a Tumblr joke....?  Anway, if there ever ARE toys at a fast food joint that you guys don’t wanna eat at (we don’t eat McD’s or BK), do what we’ve been doing for over a decade.

Walk into said fast food devil

Ask the counter jockey if you can buy a toy

They’ll ask you for around $2.50

Done!  No consuming of questionable “food” needed!  

However, if they ask you for $3.50 then it’s that dang Loch Ness Monster >_<

These toys are done, son.

For my project I want to make a night light. The light source is red so, it will not be too bright and distracting to the child as she/he tries to sleep.

I want to reuse the light source of the toy and circuit boards of the toy. The circuits include an musical aspect to the toy already so, the challenge would be to either include the noise and make it soothing or disregard it completely. I am going to use the little parts of the toy to make it more whimsical. Hopefully, I will be able to reuse the toy’s switch but if not I am going to have to build a new one.

I am going to add to the project with a new case. The original toy’s case is far too big to be a good night light. I want the case to be made out of clay but if that does not work I will use a box. I want to use clay because it can be formed into a new shape, and gives the night light a level of interactivity.

I never made a video for this and have now taken out the necessary diode in prep for the next chapter project, but the last thing I did for this contract Winter quarter was to find the clock circuit in an electronic Wiggles guitar toy. When you use your human connectors (fingers) as variable resistors on the "clock" resistor circuit (the one that times the frequency of sound let out of the toy), you can make the Wiggle's get weirder than ever before!

Here is Nic Collins tutorial it is pretty freaky: http://www.nicolascollins.com/hackingtutorial10.htm

Last December I organized Toy Hack SF. We took regular toys and rewired them so that they could be activated by a large, single switch. Why? For many kids with physical disabilities playing with off-the-shelf toys is not possible. Depending on their unique abilities, a toy might not be accessible. However, if a child can move their head, feet, arm, mouth or any other part of their body it is possible to use a switch to play with the toy.

You can learn more about our event at: www.hackingfortheholidayssf.eventbrite.com

It's impressive how toy hacking is able to capture peoples' imagination across almost any line of personal definition. I don't know if it's that we all had toys, we all modified toys, or just wished our toys were different, but it's great to be in the gallery and see people getting together with hot glue. And perhaps the most difficult question–why do adults burn themselves with the hot glue at such a higher rate?